Ashen God
Chapter 96: Attribute Restriction

The Beta-type Hunter’s normal attacks can only knock off 15 points from my Shield, but now I have 860 points of Shield Value. Unless the Beta-type Hunter can hit me 58 times in a row, and it would have to be with its strongest right arm, otherwise, it couldn’t break through my Energy Shield.

And if the Beta-type Hunter attacks me with its deformed left arm, it wouldn’t even be able to break through my defense; it would be considered an ineffective attack."

Zhang Yanhang felt that no matter how he thought about it, it was unlikely that there would be a chance of a Beta-type Hunter hitting him 58 times in a row with its right arm. After all, he wasn’t a dummy that just stood there without moving. If a Beta-type Hunter were to attack him, he would certainly counterattack. With his current Attack Power, he would need at most two or three strikes to take down a Beta-type Hunter.

Moreover, if the Beta-type Hunter stopped attacking him for more than a second in the middle of the fight, then Zhang Yanhang’s Shield Value would directly recover by 20%, allowing him to withstand more for a considerable amount of time.

Unless he was surrounded by a dozen Beta-type Hunters and they orderly circled him, each taking turns attacking him with their Death Claws, only then would there be a possibility of breaking his Shield.

But Zhang Yanhang could only briefly imagine such a scene and find it not only fantastical but also quite comical, clearly beyond the intelligence of a Beta-type Hunter.

"My Life Value limit is already at 573 points, but my current Energy Value limit is still only 250 points. The gap between them is getting bigger and bigger. I wonder if there will be a way to increase the Energy Value limit in the future."

Zhang Yanhang felt the best way to increase the Energy Value limit was to find some sort of monster similar to the Licker. Since the Licker’s Drop treasure box could contain Yellow Medicine Grass that increased the Life Value Limit, there must be some monsters in the Ashen World whose Drop treasure boxes could contain Artifacts that could increase the Energy Value limit. At that time, he could actively hunt those monsters to increase his Energy Value limit.

Unfortunately, although it is a nice idea, it’s really difficult to achieve in practice. After all, Zhang Yanhang didn’t know where such monsters could be found. It was very likely that none of the other three regions around him had them, and the Goblin Plain, which he was going to visit next, was the least likely to have such Artifacts—it didn’t seem probable that low-level monsters like Goblins would drop items of that sort.

Moreover, just like Yellow Medicine Grass, Artifacts that could increase the Energy Value limit would at least be of Blue quality, which made it even more unlikely. After all, the strength of a Big Saber Goblin wasn’t much better than an Ordinary zombie, with maybe just a slight advantage due to having a weapon; such monsters could at most drop White quality Treasure boxes.

"I remember there being Goblin Shamans in the Goblin Plain. I wonder if it’s possible to obtain Artifacts that can increase the Energy Value limit from them." Because the odds of this happening were really slim, Zhang Yanhang planned to try to search for such Artifacts later on by making a selective effort.

But even selective searching isn’t all-powerful. Some things beyond Zhang Yanhang’s ability—like world peace—were simply not achievable through it. Furthermore, even if the selective search could indeed provide him with an answer, if he was thousands of kilometers away from that answer, he would never be able to reach it.

Zhang Yanhang knew that the method of using Artifacts to increase the Energy Value limit wasn’t reliable and was highly likely unattainable, but in this regard, he really had no better options.

The only reliable method would be to wait until he reached the Second Tier, unlock a higher Attribute restriction, and then increase the Energy Value limit accordingly with the rise of the Intelligence Attribute.

"So, next up, I still have to put effort into clearing out Raccoon City, aiming to completely clear out the city sooner, and then go for the Ashen Treasure Boxes. That way, I can get the Ash Source and use it to elevate my Rank."

Having made up his mind, Zhang Yanhang took everything piled on the decrepit wooden bed and put it all back into his Waist Bag, then immediately lay down to sleep.

Yeah, he went to sleep straight away after talking about putting in effort—not because Zhang Yanhang wasn’t eager to work. How could a promising young man who aspired to adopt a 007 work schedule indulge in such a downfall? His main goal was for rest, to replenish the considerable amount of Physical Strength spent from 12 continuous hours of effort.

After all, he wasn’t a robot. After working for such a long time, he certainly needed to rest. Besides, even robots require maintenance and repairs after long periods of operation, or else various major and minor issues would arise with their components, eventually leading to failure.

Moreover, a good rest sharpens the saw; Zhang Yanhang could only hunt monsters better if he was well-rested.

Hardly five minutes after closing his eyes, Zhang Yanhang had already entered a state of deep sleep. He felt an exceptionally high sense of security now, thanks to his Energy Shield protecting him, allowing him to fall asleep faster than before.

After all, with Technique Immunity upgraded to LV.MAX, even if a Tracker directly bombarded him with a rocket launcher, there was no way it could instantly burst his Shield. Therefore, if a Tracker attacked him, Zhang Yanhang was certain to wake up immediately from sleep and react instantly. Depending on the situation, he could then choose whether to fight or Escape.

As long as Zhang Yanhang wasn’t stuck in a confined space like apartment 301 battling a Tracker to the death, even if the Tracker transformed into a more powerful form such as its second or third stages, it certainly wouldn’t be easy to finish him off.

...

October 6, 2020, the sixth day of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Holiday, in the afternoon at 2:15 PM, in Ashen World, Raccoon City, Dulda Apartment, unit 301. Although the time and place remain the same, the date has changed.

Zhang Yanhang yawned on the bed and then stretched languidly, "That was truly a good sleep."

Although the decrepit wooden bed wasn’t quite comfortable, sleeping always made one feel pleasant, especially after working overtime and indulging in sleep. In this respect, Zhang Yanhang thought his Programmer seniors would surely sympathize deeply.

After waking up a bit, Zhang Yanhang picked up the watch next to his pillow to check the time, "2:15 in the afternoon? Wow, I went straight from 2 AM to 2 PM? Slept for 12 hours?! How could I sleep for so long? Was it because the Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil Skill consumed too much Physical Strength?"